For Immediate Release
January 28, 2022
Vancouver, B.C. – Great Northern Way Campus Ltd. (“GNWC”) has appointed Ted Gervan to the role of Managing Director, Academic and Business Operations. Gervan will guide the strategic growth at Centre for Digital Media (“CDM”) and lead all operations of this groundbreaking joint venture between four leading BC educational institutions: the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, Ted will provide overall leadership to the organization, overseeing current and future academic programming, building new industry and community partnerships, and development planning of the company’s retained lands and properties.
“We are delighted to welcome Ted to the team and confident that under his guidance, CDM will continue to create world-leading digital media programming and explore growth opportunities that address some of society’s most important challenges,” said GNWC’s Board Chair, Bill Cunningham.
Gervan joins GNWC from Sheridan College where he held the position of Dean of Animation, Arts and Design. A self-proclaimed entrepreneur, Gervan has in-depth knowledge of the digital media industry and is passionate about equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation initiatives.
Born and raised in Ontario, Gervan completed an undergraduate degree in fine arts and then joined the film industry as a sculptor and concept artist. He studied post-graduate computer animation and worked as a researcher in the emerging field of computer-generated film at Sheridan. He progressed to work as a visual effects artist and lead designer on several film and television projects in Toronto, Vancouver, and Australia.
Gervan’s educational leadership career spans well-established private and public institutions. He began teaching and became Associate Dean at The Art Institute of Vancouver (now LaSalle College), where he played a fundamental role in building the Institute’s capacity to build degrees in the fields of game development, interior, graphic, and interactive design. As the VP Education at the Vancouver Film School, Gervan worked with external partners to build unique on-campus industry-educational partnerships, including Beyond Capture, a cooperation that propelled student learning, industry training and paid employment opportunities for learners in the emerging field of motion and performance capture.
In 2018 Gervan was appointed Dean of Fine and Applied Arts at Capilano University where he was a founding member in the development of CapU’s Indigenous Digital Accelerator, which is focused upon supporting Indigenous digital business scale-up, and creating Indigenous jobs and community-based benefits.
“CDM is a vital part of BC’s digital-creative economy and is uniquely positioned to shape the growth and trajectory of creative trade, cultural exchange, and capacity building for the sector and the creative community at the False Creek Flats. CDM will play a vital role in Covid-19 recovery, addressing reskilling opportunities, truth and reconciliation, as well as access related barriers to post-secondary,” says Gervan. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to help ensure that CDM’s current and future graduates are equipped to be difference makers, technology and social innovators, and storytellers who are prepared for global production environments.”
Gervan holds degrees from the Simon Fraser University (EdD Doctorate in Education Leadership), Sheridan College (Post Graduate Diploma, Animation) and McMaster University (BA, Fine Arts). He is currently studying equity, diversity and inclusivity in UBC’s award of achievement program.
ABOUT GREAT NORTHERN WAY CAMPUS LTD.
Located in the heart of Vancouver, Centre for Digital Media (“CDM”) is a thriving campus for entrepreneurship, education and public engagement. Led by Great Northern Way Campus Ltd. (“GNWC”), a groundbreaking joint venture between the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, this destination along Great Northern Way is home to a pioneering master’s degree program, student housing, open space, coffee shops, artist and game studios, and tech workspaces for creative industries. Graduate students of the Master of Digital Media program receive a powerhouse degree bearing the seals of the four partner institutions and connections to globally recognized industry partners. 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of this innovative program and the beginning of a new phase of strategic growth and community transformation.
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For more information, please contact:
Christopher Hindle
chris_hindle@thecdm.ca
778.858.6565
Facebook: @CentreforDigitalMedia
Twitter: @CentreDigiMedia
LinkedIn: Centre for Digital Media
Instagram: @CentreDigiMedia